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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012197">Familiar</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerAro/pseuds/SunflowerAro'>SunflowerAro</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Familiar [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:53:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,452</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23012197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerAro/pseuds/SunflowerAro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sonic had built a routine after defeating Dr. Robotnik. Everything was settling down, and he could finally feel like a normal teenager. So why was he having weird dreams? Why did this Orange blur feel so familiar?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Familiar [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>198</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Familiar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sonic found that there was peace in having a routine. Now that he had moved in with Tom (or Doughnut Lord, as he still called him) and Maddie, he had built a routine with them. Each morning he would wake with the sun and go for a run through the woods while the dew still hung off of leaves, would breath in the crisp, fresh air from where he had been living for the past few years—even if he had a new place, the woods were still home to him. He would pause by his old den, casting a long look at the hole hidden away underneath piles of leaves before shaking his head and continuing. </p><p>Back at home he would take his shoes off—Maddie hated when he came into the house with his muddy shoes—and drift into the kitchen, allured by the smell of pancakes being fried up by the second to wake—Maddie, of course. Tom was a wreck in the morning, only the scent of fresh brewing coffee could awaken the dead from his slumber and he would stumble downstairs, collapsing into a seat and sipping at his drink, offering Maddie a tired smile, eyes half-lidded. </p><p>Sonic would help her clean while Tom freshened up, bounding back downstairs ten minutes later a new man. He would twirl Maddie with grace, pressing a soft kiss to her lips and leaving her flustered no matter how many times he did it. He would then ruffle Sonic’s fur as he passed by, snickering at the indignant squawk from Sonic—who would deny to all hell he loved the warm gesture. </p><p>On days Sonic attended school, the two would take off together, wishing Maddie a good day and joking to each other on the car ride to the school; on the days he didn’t, Sonic and Maddie would bid him goodbye and read together out in the sun, would bake goods with patience Sonic was learning to build up—and slow, quiet times were so pleasant, Maddie had taught him—to eat once Tom returned in the afternoon. They would go shopping together after noon, making jokes about fancy, repulsive clothing, and she would turn a blind eye when Sonic dropped candy into the basket, provided he shared it with her later.</p><p>Tom would return before the sun kissed the horizon, fatigue in his eyes as they brightened upon seeing his family, drawing the two of them into a warm embrace and regaling them with tales of his day. </p><p>“And you should have seen Dale! The guy managed to fall asleep at the wheel again and take out Cheryl’s front garden.” He shook his head, eyes sparkling with mirth while Sonic would burst into laughter, only just holding himself back from racing over to see the scene for himself—Maddie would berate him for rushing off before dinner.</p><p>Sonic and Maddie would sit at the dining table, Maddie rubbing her fingers through Ozzie's soft fur as he dozed while Tom prepared dinner, humming to himself as he sizzled steaks, boiled potatoes and dished up a salad brimming with greens. While Maddie could whip up a great breakfast, Tom would always prepare an outstanding dinner for them.</p><p>They would watch television for a little after that, curled up on the couch which could hardly fit the three of them and laugh at reality tv until one of them would notice Sonic’s eyes drifting shut and clap their hands, announcing it was bedtime. Rinse and repeat.</p><p>**</p><p>“You have school today buddy,” Tom said, halting Sonic’s rant about a new café opening to Maddie.</p><p>Sonic blinked, smacking his head. “Right! Maddie, can we go tomorrow?”</p><p>Maddie smiled warmly. “Of course. I can’t promise I won’t go today though. I’ve heard good things about their pastries.”</p><p>Sonic placed a hand over his heart dramatically. “Maddie! How could you?” </p><p>She chuckled. “Alright, sweetie. I can hold off for one day.”</p><p>Sonic ducked his head at the name, but nodded. “I’m keeping you to that promise.”</p><p>Tom pulled him outside before he could begin enthusing about the decadent pastries they would devour the next day, handing him his backpack.</p><p>“Make sure you focus today, kid. And don’t distract Andy all day,” Tom said with a fond shake of his head. </p><p>Andy being the kid who had taken to Sonic instantly. None of the people in Green Hills cared about the sudden appearance of him, in fact they treated him as one of their own, but Andy had gone out of his way to get to know Sonic—and Sonic had a feeling it had originally been because the kid was such a nerd, even if the blossoming friendship had strengthened since then. </p><p>“I’ll do my best! Promise,” Sonic said with a nod. Lessons could be so slow and tedious to work through, especially when he could read through the textbook in a single minute, but learning with the rest of the class made him feel like a real teenager rather than a super-powered hedgehog from another world. Baseball was by far the best addition to come with school—friends aside, that is—even if he wasn’t allowed to abuse his power while they played. It was fun to be out in the game, to hear people cheering his name rather than watching from underneath the bleachers. Green Hills had gone from a place he lived to a place he could call home in a short few weeks.</p><p>*</p><p>Sonic had broken his promise within the first two periods—sorry, Tom. Sonic had no use for maths, nor did he care for English, not when analysing the books he loved could be so boring. Biology had become a favourite of his quickly, especially with the rants Andy could go off onto in a matter of seconds. One mention of a spider and he would be gushing over how they made their webs. Sonic found the passion had ebbed off onto him, so he could keep his promise for this class, at least.</p><p>“Settle down, class. Today, we will be discussing memory loss in humans, starting with a few specific cases. You can pair off into groups and research one case from the board, then send in your assignments before class ends.”</p><p>Sonic nodded as their teacher called out names from the list, he and Andy receiving the ‘Gribers’ case. The man had woken up one day with no recollection of the past few months, losing precious memories of friends and his husband alike. They had managed to spark the memories, but their efforts had been exhausting. There was still no known reason for such a loss of memory.</p><p>“That’s…interesting,” Sonic commented, rubbing his head against a forming headache. Something about the case had felt odd. He wasn’t sure how to explain it.</p><p>Andy didn’t notice his quiet demeanour, instead turning to rant over how it wasn’t the first known case, and likely wouldn’t be the last—it seemed humans were built faulty at best.<br/>
Sonic offered a weak smile as he listened to the rant, but something still nagged him at the back of his head. Why did this all feel so…familiar?</p><p>*</p><p>“What’s up, kid?” Sonic was lying down on the couch, face smushed into the pillows when Tom arrived home, Maddie being out for an urgent call with her aunt. The couch dipped as Tom sank down beside Sonic, placing a gentle hand on his back and, when Sonic didn’t pull away, began to rub circles into it.</p><p>Sonic mumbled into the pillow incoherently. </p><p>“Can’t hear you there, bud. Want to surface so we can talk about it?”</p><p>Sonic sighed, but sat up, leaning into Tom’s side when the man opened his arms warmly. “I don’t know,” he admitted.</p><p>Tom pursed his lips. “Anything I can do to help?”</p><p>Sonic frowned. “I don’t think so. I just feel…weird.”</p><p>Tom hummed in thought. “Well, when you know what’s wrong, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll be there when you need it.”</p><p>Sonic smiled softly, nuzzling into Tom’s side gratefully. “Thanks.”</p><p>Tom jumped with a quiet yelp. “Woah, watch the quills there, kid,” he said teasingly, shifting into a more comfortable position. </p><p>Sonic chuckled quietly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Even if things still felt off, at least he had Tom. And Maddie, when she returned.</p><p>He barely noticed himself drifting off, barely noticed as Tom carefully pulled him into his arms, carrying him upstairs and into his bed, tucking the blankets around him with a fond look.</p><p>“Night, son,” Tom whispered, shutting the door softly behind him, Sonic too far gone to notice.</p><p>
  <em>The long grass swayed in the gentle breeze, brushing against his cheeks as he lay on the hill, watching the clouds roll by above. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the island’s mountain looming over him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He sighed, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath of the sweet wind, the taste of fruit lingering on his tongue. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Something latched onto his arm and he opened his eyes drowsily, an orange blur covering half of his vision. It grabbed onto his shoulder, forcefully shaking him, but the world was too blurry and he was too sleepy. Surely, whatever Orange wanted could wait? It was such a nice day…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Beyond the blur, the sky darkened, red and black streaking across it as the ground began to shake. Orange became more desperate, tugging at him as water landed on his arm. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We…go!” What was it saying? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sonic shook his head, trying to clear away the cotton but it only made it worse. “What do you want?” His voice came out as a whisper, barely audible over the sound of rocks crashing to the ground in the distance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…nic!” Sonic couldn’t make out what it was trying to tell him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Who are you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The blur began to shake, any semblance of hope leaving it when Sonic wouldn’t budge.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Please…” it whispered, turning bright blue eyes up to look at him. </em>
</p><p>Sonic jolted upright with a gasp, breaths coming out too quickly as he looked around franticly. He was in his room, the fairy lights casting down a glow over his paraphernalia, all clear as day—no weird, orange blurs in sight. </p><p>He lifted a hand to his face, blinking in surprise when it came back wet. What was that? That place, the orange blur that had seemed so familiar, it was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t remember for the life of him. Sniffling, he wiped away any lingering tears, pulling a blanket around his shoulders with a shudder. That dream had felt so real…had he been to that island before?</p><p>He pulled out his world’s map, eyeing it off with narrowed eyes. Cloud land, lava land and that odd fish world were all crossed off, several others still available, but he couldn’t see any picture with a resemblance to the island in his dream. Sonic let out a frustrated sigh, placing the paper back in his drawer and putting his head in his hands. It was only a dream, he shouldn’t be getting so worked up over it. And yet…</p><p>Sonic turned to look at the time, glaring at the red 11:21pm that seemed to mock him. He wouldn’t be sleeping anymore tonight, not after such an unsettling dream.<br/>
He turned to his comic book collection—growing ever since Maddie had given him an allowance. Reading would distract him, and that was exactly what he needed. </p><p>*</p><p>“Hey, kid!” Sonic jumped, accidentally flicking jam into Tom’s face.</p><p>“Shoot! Sorry, Tom,” he said, rushing to grab a napkin.</p><p>Tom shot him a grimace, wiping away the jam with a shake of his head. “It’s okay. I didn’t know hedgehogs threw jam at people when provoked, though,” he teased.</p><p>Sonic shot him an unimpressed look, too tired to join in on their usual morning banter. He hadn’t slept a wink since the dream had woken him up and he could feel the effects already. </p><p>Tom held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Alright, sorry,” he said. “I was wondering if you were okay? You looked a little out of it there, kid.”</p><p>Sonic sighed. “Didn’t sleep well,” he admitted.</p><p>Tom raised an eyebrow. “Really? I thought for sure you’d sleep through the night.”</p><p>Sonic shook his head. </p><p>Tom pursed his lips when Sonic looked back down at the table. Maddie would be back soon enough, so hopefully going to that café could bring back some of Sonic’s usual effervescence. Seeing the kid so withdrawn was unnerving, even if Tom wished for some quiet every so often—with a teenager talking your ear off, how could one not?</p><p>He patted him on the shoulder on his way out. “Make sure you rest up while I’m gone,” he told him, Sonic only nodding in response. “Good. I’ll see you tonight.”</p><p>“See you,” Sonic said quietly, offering him a wave before turning back to the table.</p><p>Tom shut the door with a sigh. Hopefully, Maddie could help him through this.</p><p>*</p><p>Sonic stirred the hot chocolate in front of him absentmindedly, the cake beside him almost untouched. What had that dream meant? And who was that orange blur? What even was that place? He scowled at the table; too many questions and not a single answer. Orange had seemed so familiar, though. But none of the other islands he had been to had held a creature even close in resemblance. So, what on earth?</p><p>Sonic jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder, looking up into Maddie’s worried eyes.</p><p>“You okay, sweetheart?” she asked, shifting her seat so she sat closer.</p><p>Sonic hesitated. Was he? He gave a slow nod. Nothing felt particularly wrong, but something certainly felt…off. The dream had left him longing for something, but he couldn’t begin to think what it was. “I’m okay,” he said. “I just had a weird dream last night.”</p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?” </p><p>Sonic pursed his lips. “I don’t really know. I mean, it wasn’t a nightmare,” he admitted. “But it left me feeling odd. It feels like I’m forgetting something.”</p><p>Maddie sat back to give his words some thought. Sonic finally took a sip of his hot chocolate, grateful that it hadn’t gone cold while he had been distracted.</p><p>“Maybe your dreams are trying to remind you of something, or maybe they’re just being weird,” she said finally. “Dreams don’t always hold any significance.”</p><p>She was right, as usual. Maybe he was unsettled for no reason, was looking into this too much.  Sonic nodded. “Maybe I’ve been watching too much television,” he wondered.</p><p>Maddie smiled, tearing a chunk of his cake off and plopping it in her mouth, chuckling when Sonic squawked in indignation. “Now, you should know there’s no such thing,” she said, pointing at him with her fork.</p><p>Sonic huffed a laugh, pulling the cake closer to himself so he could finally indulge in it—and they weren’t kidding when they said the cakes were a delicacy after all. He was looking into this too much.</p><p>*</p><p>
  <em>He was back in the field, arms behind his head as he gazed at the few clouds daring to glide across the blue sky. The orange blur was lying beside him this time, sitting up as it looked out over the ocean, muffled words going in and out of Sonic’s cotton-filled ears once more. This time, they weren’t panicked, instead it seemed that Orange was telling him a tale. Of what, Sonic couldn’t be sure.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Orange gestured out over the sea and Sonic sat up, taking in the numerous other islands nearby, none of which nearly as large as the one they were occupying. Red flowers dotted the hill, swaying lazily in the breeze as Orange continued to regal him with its story. Sonic found himself nodding along, traces of a smile blooming on his face, but he wasn’t sure why—he couldn’t understand what it was saying, so why did he feel so at ease beside it, why could he feel the strings of humour pulling laughter out of him? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>A boat pulled up by the dock and several more coloured blurs Sonic couldn’t for the life of him make out stepped onto the sand, blurry arms waving at them. Sonic was waving back before he could process the arrival of more blurs. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Orange turned to him, blue eyes sparkling with such clarity Sonic reared back, but Orange latched onto his shoulders, pulling him in close.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Sonic, wake up!” </em>
</p><p>Sonic jolted up, breaths heavy, sweat dripping down his forehead. He huffed angrily at the tears lingering in his eyes, several already staining his cheeks; he brushed them away with more force than necessary. </p><p>
  <em>Again? </em>
</p><p>There were even more blurs now, not that he could tell which colours they were when they were mingled together as they had been. He had barely interacted with them and yet he still felt that yearning for them—not as much as he did for Orange, but it was still there and oh, so annoying. </p><p>He took a deep breath, letting it out shakily as he stood. It was only 4am, but he couldn’t stay here right now. He needed to run. He could talk to Maddie about this later, once he had cleared his head. Sonic crept down the stairs, pausing at the master bedroom to ensure Tom and Maddie were still fast asleep—they were, Ozzie the only one awake to shoot him a look before flopping back over.</p><p>He hesitated at the door, hand on the knob. He should leave them a note, on the unlikely chance one of them woke up and noticed he was gone—he didn’t want them to worry.<br/>
The note was to the point, a quick, ‘<em>back soon</em>’ left on the kitchen table before he slipped outside.</p><p>He opened the back gate, wincing as it squeaked in protest before he continued down the path towards the forest, the same path he took almost every morning. Mist pooled around the trunks of the trees, enveloping Sonic as he passed by. The air was cool, moonlight illuminating the trail before him, dewdrops glistening upon leaves as he brushed by. He could only be grateful for his warm fur as he dashed off into the forest, taking his usual route.</p><p>He had a place in mind, a place he could sit and process for an hour or two.</p><p>He slowed down to a normal pace as the clearing came up, stepping through the bushes and out onto the cliff. He smiled at the sight of the place he had found many months ago, only weeks after he had started living with the Wachowski’s. As much as he loved the two, he needed time to himself; he had lived in the forest alone for years, and sometimes he needed to return there for a few hours.</p><p>He dropped down by the edge of the cliff, swinging his legs over the side as he sat back, watching the few lights still on in town twinkle beneath him. If he looked far enough, he could see the moon reflecting off of the reservoir a few miles away.</p><p>Sonic took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Here, he could stop thinking for a few minutes and appreciate the still, cold air surrounding him. No one else was around. No one else even knew of this place. </p><p>The uneasy feeling that had settled over him began to shed, drifting off into the mist behind him as contentedness washed over him. When was the last time he had come here? It had been a while.</p><p>A buzzing noise started up behind him, gradually growing louder with each passing second. Sonic’s eyes snapped open and he whipped around as a ring portal opened up behind him, <em>that</em> world within his reach. </p><p>What on Earth?</p><p>Then, a fox—one like him, not like the Earth ones—stepped through the portal, gazing around before his eyes locked onto Sonic’s and widened. Sonic blinked, that feeling of longing slamming back into him as he stared at what he could only assume was Orange. He was so familiar, but why? He had never seen him before, right?</p><p>“Sonic!” Orange was by his side in an instant, arms wrapped around him tightly as he rested his forehead on Sonic’s shoulder. </p><p>“The others thought you were long gone, but I knew I could do it. I knew I could find you!” Orange pulled back with a grin, eyes sparkling with tears.</p><p>Sonic blinked again, tilting his head with a frown. “I…”</p><p>“Sonic, don’t you remember me?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A friend made me write fluff for Sonic and now she gets to suffer along with anyone else reading this.<br/>Thanks for reading! I will be continuing this when I get the chance, but for now, farewell!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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